The present invention relates broadly to a search radar system, and in particular to a netted search radar system to defeat monopulse anti-radiation missiles.
In the prior art, the anti-radiation missile presents a serious threat to the survival of current and future surveillance radars which operate under combat conditions. The missile uses monopulse techniques to accurately seek and destroy the source of periodic radar emissions. A number of countermeasures may be employed to defend against a anti-radiation missile (ARM) attack. One of these countermeasures is the ARM alarm, which is a decoy emission that is intended to lure the missile away from its intended target, surveillance radars. The use of low sidelobe antennas and controlled radar emissions such as netted radar blinking or individual radar blanking are intended to break the lock of the missile tracking system.
These anti-radiation missiles countermeasures may successfully deny destruction of the surveillance radar under attack, but do have some undesirable limitations. During the operation of these countermeasures, the search functions of the surveillance radar must be temporarily interrupted. The frequency and duration of the individual interruptions may cause loss of track, and associated track mis-identification of both friendly and hostile aircraft. During the interval that the surveillance radars must suspend their operations, the functions of the radar such as the early warning, intercept and air traffic control functions, are severely curtailed. The present invention provides a viable alternative to prior art defense techniques.